Your relative’s hoarded estate is being cleared, and you need to make decisions on what to trash, what to keep, and what to donate. But you also might come across items that you don’t want to keep but that are too valuable to just donate—furniture, TVs, computers, sound systems, jewelry, china, tools, etc. So many things are uncovered while cleaning a cluttered estate, and you need a fourth alternative.

Why not have an estate sale?Sure, you can hire an estate sale company, but that could cost you up to 50% of your gross profits! You can host your own estate sale, with a little elbow grease and a nominal cost for supplies, and not only do you keep the proceeds for yourself, but you see who is giving your relative’s possessions—possibly family heirlooms—a good home.

Host your own estate sale by following these 7 steps.

1. Inventory and tag your items. After you’ve made the decisions on what you’d like to sell, make a list of your items, with their target prices and your lowest (haggle) price for your helpers to refer to. Buy two packages of tags, both the kind you hang on an item and the kind you stick on.

2. Get your sale items ready. Clean and, if necessary, repair your sale items; you'll get much more for an item that's clean and in good shape. For appliances, electronics, tools, etc., make sure they work properly and have their cords, remote controls, charging units, etc., attached.

3. Price to sell. Price slightly higher to account for haggling, but not so high that you scare shoppers. Estate sale shoppers expect (and love) to haggle.

4. Pick a date. Saturday seems to be the best day for estate sales. Select a date several weeks in advance, plus a “rain date” in case of bad weather. This will give you time to prepare your sale items, secure tables, signs, and price tags, a cash box (this should be kept in a secure place), and aprons with pockets for keeping money while at the table. You’ll need to get lots of small bills and change to start.

5. Make it a neighborhood event! If possible, have friends and neighbors sell with you; bigger estate sales attract more shoppers, plus there’s extra security in having friends and neighbors around for extra “eyes.” Otherwise, ask family members to be present to help for when things get crowded or you need to be away from the tables. If the sale hours are long, there’s no harm in having a pitcher of lemonade and some paper cups available to make shoppers feel more welcome.

6. ADVERTISE!

Post your sale in local papers and on CraigsList; if you have fairly expensive items (artwork, furniture, etc.) you might invest in a service such as estatesales.net, which posts your sale information online at a reasonable fee.

Place signs at a minimum of six corners leading to your sale. Signs should be on white or bright, light-colored pasteboard. Use very thick black markers that are easily seen by people driving by. Remember, big, thick letters are more readable. Wording can be “ESTATE SALE,” with the date, hours, address—and arrows—clearly visible. You can add brief descriptions such as “Appliances, Furniture, and More,” but don’t make it too crowded for people to see quickly as they drive by.

7. Be ready early. Experienced estate sale shoppers get there right on time to get the best deals. Set the starting time around 7 am (this has been shown to be the best time); set up your tables an hour or more beforehand so you have time to carry out and place all your items. People may show up early, so if you’re ready you can accommodate them.

8. I know, we said 7, but HAVE FUN! This is an important day for you, sending your relative’s possessions off to good homes and making money in the process. A successful estate sale of a hoarded home brings closure to an emotional, often arduous process and should leave you feeling good about yourself and the good job you’ve done clearing out the hoarded estate. And the money you make can help pay for the hoarding clearout!